Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are widely used electronic substrates in the electronics and telecommunications industry. PCBs generally include one or more layers of an insulating substrate (e.g., plastic) on which an electrical circuit is formed by depositing a predetermined pattern of a conducting metal (e.g., copper) for connecting various electronic components (e.g., semiconductors) which are mounted on or embedded in the PCB layers. Many of these electrical circuits include components which operate at a high radio frequency (RF). The RF emissions from these components can interfere with the proper operation of other components or circuits in the vicinity of the PCB. Thus, it may be important to block or shield these RF emissions in order to prevent RF interference.
For compact electronic devices, such as radiotelephones, a PCB serving as a ground plane may be utilized as a part of a shielding system. A conductive housing (often referred to as a "shield can") that is configured to surround all or part of a component is typically electrically connected to a PCB upon which the component is secured. An exemplary shield can that is electrically secured to a PCB is described in co-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,938.
Conventional shield cans can have somewhat complex shapes and configurations because of PCB space constraints within small electronic devices such as radiotelephones. Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary shield can 10 with a somewhat complex configuration and that is configured to be secured to a PCB 12 over a plurality of electronic components 14 is illustrated. The illustrated shield can 10 includes a top 16 and a plurality of side walls 18 depending from the top 16.
During the development stage of an electronic device, such as a radiotelephone, the location, shape and/or size of electronic components and circuitry on a PCB therewithin may change. Accordingly, any such changes may require a change in the size and/or configuration of a device, such as a shield can, for shielding these components and circuitry. Unfortunately, changing the size and/or configuration of a shielding device during the development phase of an electronic device may lead to increased costs and may cause development delays. As a result, conventional shield cans that are molded or formed for a specific location and/or configuration may be unsuitable for use during the development stages of an electronic device.